We were on the Liberty from March 6th to March 13th. It was our first time "cruising" and we didn't know what to expect. In the end, it was fun and we will do it again, but not all the time.

Researching the cruise took a lot of time. Being on a cruise for the first time, you ask a lot of questions and see a lot of opinions. There seems to be a consensus out there that going on a cruise is the best thing invented. Well, it's not. It's a mix of good and not so good, but the main thing is that you understand what you are getting into before you leave, so you can enjoy the good and not let the not-so-good bother you too much. The main subjects seem to be the ship and the itinerary. It's so much more than just those things and you have to be prepared for that going in...

Going into the cruise, we understood that this is the least expensive of the major cruise lines. There are a lot of hidden costs that everyone should be aware of (example: a room of 2 people will cost an extra 140 bucks because a tip of 10 bucks a day is added to your room for service - which is well deserved, however, it is still a hidden cost that nobody talks about in the up front cost). Carnival also has a reputation of being the "fun ship", which means that you can go there to party and it's ok. With the mix of being the least expensive and a reputation, you should know what you are going to get. It amazed me that some people on the ship, just didn't understand this. Complaining about the lines? Why are there so many spring breakers? The shows were not as good as the Broadways shows? Why can't I get a deck chair in the sun? Read more